Gaza city: Director of Hospitals at Gaza's Health Ministry Mohammed Zaqout has warned that the World Health Organization's decision to halt fuel supplies to hospitals in the Gaza Strip in the coming days will seriously affect patients' health and the provision of medical services.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Zaqout said the planned cutoff from September 19 would threaten vital healthcare services and have serious consequences for patients' lives. He noted that dozens of hospitals had already stopped operating, leaving only six government hospitals functioning. Private hospitals play a key role in providing healthcare and easing pressure on the Health Ministry, he added.

According to Zaqout, private hospitals provide scheduled surgeries, endoscopy, outpatient and emergency care, as well as nearly half of all maternity services in Gaza. Fuel shortages would severely disrupt these services, he said. He criticized the WHO and other international organizations for treating Gaza as though it had moved from a wartime emergency into a recovery phase, despite continued Israeli attacks.

Zaqout also pointed to shortages of medicines, medical equipment, generator fuel and spare parts. A generator failure at al-Arabi Private Hospital has already taken Gaza City's only CT scanner out of service, forcing patients to travel by ambulance to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis for scans, he said. He called on the WHO to reverse its decision and provide diesel, generator fuel and spare parts to private hospitals.

The decision was announced on Monday by Gaza Health Ministry Director-General Munir al-Bursh. 'In light of the severe shortage of fuel and oils, and the failure to deliver the minimum needed to operate hospitals and health centers in the Gaza Strip, the WHO announced the suspension of diesel supplies to more than 20 hospitals and health centers, starting September 19, due to a lack of funding,' he said in a statement carried by Anadolu news agency.

Al-Bursh warned that the cut in fuel supplies would have grave consequences and push hospitals to 'complete shutdown,' calling on the WHO and the international community to assume their responsibilities and ensure continued supplies of fuel. Gaza has already faced severe fuel shortages as Israel keeps the main crossings closed, restricting the entry of food, fuel, and other basic supplies despite a ceasefire deal that took effect in early October 2025.